Super Hero Worship - A Belated Epiphany

My reaction to this year's super hero theme for the Vogue-sponsored Metropolitan Museum's Costume Institute Ball was rather flat. Something about the whole "super hero influence on fashion" theme seemed a little contrived to me, sort of gimmicky. At the time, I didn't think much of it. But, since then, I've been forced to reconsider my position (I know, I know - the Met Ball was weeks ago but my subconscious may be a little slower than average). It all started when my mother called me last week to share a funny memory. She had been channel flipping when she came across an old episode of the Wonder Woman television series from the 1970's starring Lynda Carter. She called to remind me how as a little girl, I would watch old reruns of the show after school and then persuade my more compliant friends to play Wonder Woman with me in our backyard (can you guess who had the starring role?). My mother also reminded me that I had insisted on wearing a Wonder Woman costume four years in a row for Halloween. After I hung up, it slowly dawned on me that I was still worshipping Wonder Woman albeit in a more subtle way (thankfully). Also, I no longer insist my friends play along (unless of course they want to).

To start, I have a veritable obsession with cuff bracelets. I had initially attributed my obsession with cuff bracelets to my great admiration for the late Diana Vreeland who wore them to great effect but I realize now that my love for this coveted accessory pre-dates my awareness of the legendary Vogue editor by a number of years. Oops! While I now own a number of them, my absolute favorite remains an interlocking dragon cuff in gold with cabochon emerald eyes by venerable American jeweler David Webb. I wear it with everything because it looks fabulous with everything from evening dresses to jeans and a t-shirt. I suppose like Wonder Woman it's my signature piece and while I haven't tried stopping bullets with it yet, I wouldn't be surprised one bit if my beloved dragon cuff bracelet could do just that.

I also love belts - they define the waist and add definition to the entire silhouette and while I don't wear a gold one like she did, I do have a mighty impressive collection. My favorites include a nice thick one in black patent leather with a square buckle from the Yves Saint-Laurent Fall 2006 collection and a thin black patent leather one from Madonna's "M" Collection for H&M (Spring 2007) - probably the best ten pounds I've ever spent. I'm also lusting after the Azzedine Alaia perforated patent leather black belt which is, to my utter dismay, sold out all over London. And finally, the boots. I love, love, love boots - high heeled boots, low heeled boots, always knee-high, never ankle length. Come to think of it, I suppose my dislike of ankle boots is linked to another super hero. While on an intellectual level I dislike ankle length boots because I think they're unflattering on even long, well toned legs, they also have the unfortunate quality of conjuring mental images of Bat Girl from the Batman television series. As far as crime-fighting super heros go, she was pretty lame. Unlike Wonder Woman who had a whole range of powers and who used her accessories very effectively sometimes deflecting bullets with her cuffs, sometimes using her crown as a boomerang and sometimes immobilizing a villain with her gold belt, Bat Girl seemed to know only one move - the Can-Can kick. So lame. Also, she invariably would end up needing Batman and Robin to bail her out of trouble. Some super hero.

So, upon further reflection, I suppose the super hero theme wasn't so contrived after all. While I don't think I'll be attempting the star-spangled hot pants look, I suppose I took more fashion cues from my favorite super hero than I had initially realized. I'm also apparently in good company as I've just learned that Diane von Furstenberg is unveiling a capsule collection in October inspired by Wonder Woman. (Source) Looks like I owe Anna Wintour a belated mea culpa. Forgive me for doubting in your own super powers Anna. It won't happen again.

Sincerely,

The Luxe Chronicles